After the end

thirteen

The horses were all set up ready to go when the group finished packing. "Alright Lexi you can share with Ellie, Joel your on your own, Rosa on your own one like Joel." Tommy said and they all started to put their things onto the horses and Ellie climbed onto hers and Lexi's. "Take care of yourself." Tommy said pulling his best friend in for a hug. Rosa chuckled in response and they pulled apart. "You too Miller, keep care of that baby too if I'm not back before they're born." Lexi then walked over as Joel helped Rosa get onto her horse, after then joining Lexi by her side. "I'm gonna miss you two." Tommy said and Lexi pulled the man in for a hug. "I'm gonna miss you too, we only just got here." Tommy patted her back before they pulled apart and Lexi let Joel and Tommy have a moment. "Gonna miss you baby brother." Joel said and Tommy laughed. "That name still isn't going and Joel shook his head. The two hugged each other, neither of them wanting to let go. "See you guys, look after yourselves." Tommy waved as they left through the gate. "Let's go get Ezra." Lexi said looking at Rosa. "And let's get Ellie to the fireflies." Rosa added on as their horsed trotted along the snow.

Ezra feet were freezing from the amount of walking he's done in the snow. He was freezing generally he couldn't make any food because he couldn't feel anything. "I need to make a fire." He said to himself. Once he managed to grab some wood and then remembered he had a lighter in his bag which he used to light the fire. The boy leaned against the log and just sat there thinking to himself. Should I have left? Why did I leave? Oh yeah can't get them all killed. I'm gonna die out here. Better me die then the others. He slowly was dropping off to sleep but stopped himself. He knew that because he was falling asleep he needed to keep moving. Ezra put the fire out and then grabbed his bag, getting on his feet again before heading further into the darkness. All he could think about was Rosa and if she might have snuck out to go find him alone and that she could get hurt. He wanted to go back to see if she had left to find him but he knew that he couldn't, not after that letter he left with not enough explanation. He couldn't do that to her.

The 4 travelers had found a place to stay for the night, Joel and Rosa setting up a fire for the others while Lexi was teaching Ellie how to cook a rabbit which Tommy gave to them with some other food for their trip. "Joel? Come look at this." Rosa called out to her sisters husband. "Yeah what is it." Joel replied as he walked over to the younger Rodriguez sibling. The two looked at the plie of burnt up wood and a small trail of footprints in the snow nearby. "This is all recent right, it must be Ezra right?" Rosa said, hope in her voice about the younger boy who all alone out there. Joel stared at the footprints for a few seconds before glancing at Rosa. "Let's hope so." He muttered while thinking about the boy himself and how he shouldn't have been so harsh towards him because maybe that could've got him to stay. "Hey guys foods done!" Ellie called out to the two, they grabbed the wood before walking back. Rosa turned to look at the stuff that they discovered before looking up to the sky. "God, please make sure Ezra get's back to me please I can't lose him." She softly whispered before heading back to the others. A tear falling down her cheek. "Hey you okay?" Lexi asked her younger sister as she joined her on the log she was sat on eating peacefully but shaking. "Yeah just cold." The younger girl breathed out, once again another tear falling from her eye. Not wanting to tell the real reason why she was shaking. Ezra. He was the reason. "It's not just that is it?" Lexi said knowing her all too well to have the cold be the reason as to why she's shaking. "No, it's Ezra. He could be dead or hurt and I wouldn't know because I let him leave." Tears were now running down her face faster than she thought they could. The older sister pulling her into a hug rubbing her back calming her. "Hey, hey he's okay alright. he's okay because I have never met a boy his age who is so brave to do all the things he has done and that bravery will bring him back to us okay." Lexi reassured the crying girl.